Pen-holder



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FREDERICK BRACKETT, OF CALAIS, MAINE.

PEN-HOLDER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,897, dated November 14, 1865; antedated November .3, 1865.

To all whom it may conccm:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK BRAOKE'IT, of Calais, in the county of Washington and State of Maine, have invented a new and useiul Attachment to Ordinary Pen-Holders for the Purpose of Ruling; and I do hereby de- Clare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure l is a perspective view of a round ruler and pen in position for ruling. Fig. 2 is perspective view of a roller-ruler and pen in position for ruling. Fig. 3 is a view exposing the spiral spring arranged around the penguide rod.

The nature of my invention consists,mainly, in the combination and attachment of a small, cheap, neat, and very simple adjustable guiderod to' the pen-tube of a pen-holder in such manner as to enable the using an ordinary steel or other pen in ruling and drawing inklines, and whereby the ink is eft'ectually prevented from adhering to the sides or surface of the ruler or other article used for ruling.

The better to enable others to construct and use my said invention, I herewith give a full description ofthe same.

In Figures l and 2, a, a a is a ruler such as is used in counting-houses, b b b being the ruling-edge.

c c c is an ordinary pen-holder, with the metal tube or sleeve d d, formed with a smaller secondary tube or socket, e c, attached to the side of the larger tube, so as to rest next the ruler.

Within the tube or socket e e is adjusted a small sliding guide-rod, ff, of steel wire, about 0ne-siXteenth of an inch in diameter, hardened so as not to bend, one end of the rod bent or formed with a thumb-piece, g, and a hooked extension, h. This guide-rod is long enough to reach to within about one-fourth of an inch of the nib of the pen when in proper position, or of suiicient length to be used with the 0rdinary flat ruler. Around this guide-rod, and arranged within the small socket-tube e c, is arranged a suitable small spiral spring, it', one end of said spring being confined permanently to the guide-rod and the other end disconnected or detached. At 7 is shown inserted in the pen holder or handle a small catch-pin, and at 7c is shown the pen.

The tube or sleeve d d c e can be formed of one piece of thin metal, in tube shape, and made over a forming tool, and crimped or shapedin long tubes, and cut into smaller parts of the required length for the pen-holder, and may be made to suit any size wooden handle.

It is well known, in using an ordinary writing-pen, that great inconvenience is experienced in ruling lines from the almost unavoidable diiiiculty in preventing the ink from leaving the pen and adhering to the edge of the ruler, frequently blotting the written and ruled surface and causing much waste of the ink; but in the employment of my pen-holder attach ment such objections and difficulty are entirely obviated, while the ruling oflines, either straight or curved, is rendered smooth, expeditious, and easy, without any inconvenience or Waste of ink or danger of blotting the ruled surface, all of which advantages will be readily presented to the observation and experience of every person accustomed to keeping and making up accounts.

In the employment of my invention a longsought desideratum will be found, more especially as an ordinary steel or other metal pen is rendered more serviceable and available than the more expensive drawing and ruling pen, such as is used by draftsmen, which pen, no matter how perfect, requires great care in its use, always requiring to be adjusted to suit the size of line and volume of ink, and requiring the eXtra attention of being wiped and cleaned of superfluous ink, none of which objections, however, attend the use of my invention.

lhe manner or mode of using' my invention is simply to grasp the pen-handle between the first and second ngers, the thumb resting against the top of the thumb-piece g and pushing it down to the desired distance, as shown in Fig. 2, wherein the end of the guide-rodff projects out of its socket, so as to extend down the required distance toward the point of the pen and to rest against the side of the ruler, and by the agency of the little catch-pin the guide-rod is yheld as long as desired, when the thumb is allowed all the freedom of use desired. After ruling, a slight touch of the thumb-piece g will release the guide-rod from its extended position, and the spiral spring,in reacting, will cause the guide-rod to be drawn up Within the small tube or socket e e, and thus resume its proper position, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position the guide-rod does not come in contact with the ink in dipping the pen into the ink-receptacle. In replenishing the supply of ink in the pen for ruling purposes the guiderod is raised up by relaxing the pressure of the thumb or releasing` the thumb-piece g from the catch-pin J.

It will be found that the guide attach meut does not interfere in the least with the use of the pen; nor does it materially change the grasp of the peu or incommode the penman, it being small, light, and convenient.

FREDERICK BRAGKETT. [n s] VVituesses J oHN S. HoLLiNGsHEAD, E. VAN ZANDT, J r. 

